Observe how and when your teacher closes his or her lessons and/or activities. How does he or she end each class period? Is there a set routine? If so, describe it. Pay special attention to when you teacher begins to end the class. Does he or she return to the purpose or main idea of the lesson? Does he or she "set up" the homework or the next day's activity? Is the teacher still teaching when the bell rings or are students already poised to leave? Is there some "dead time" at the end of the class period? If so, how much? How do students react to your teacher's closing strategies? Remember that these questions are a guide and that you don't have to answer each one. Be sure you reflect on your observations and describe how you will try to end your classes. What supports for these ideas might you include in your lesson plans?
Depending on the lesson plan and the class activity, my CT takes about 5 minutes before the class period ends to bring the class together. This is her set routine, which I feel gives the students stability and they know what to expect. During this time she assigns the homework, explains what is expected of the students, and writes the assignment on the homework board. She then reminds the kids what they did throughout the class period. She recaps the objective of the day, then states why they are doing this, and briefly what they will be doing within the next class periods. She reminds them about any long term projects they should be working on at home (NK requires students to complete a long term, in depth science fair project which counts for 25% of each quarter grade). My CT is really good at keeping track of time and keeping students on task. By the end of the class, students know and understand what their homework is, have gone over what they did in today's class, and have been introduced to what they will be doing next class. Students at this time are also expected to clean up their desk area and put away any materials that they have used during the class period. Rarely have I ever seen "dead time" at the end of a class period. I think the only time I did was when the NECAP testing was going on for the juniors, and the periods got extended without the teachers being informed of this. I feel that the students like the routine of how my CT closes each class period. The students know they need to get their planners out to listen for the homework assignments, and they know they are expected to clean up their desk area. I personally like the idea of routine and structure, and I think it works well in this situation.
I deffinitally will try to end my classes in the same manner. I think that closing a lesson or a class is vital so that the students will retain what they just learned in class. By reviewing the processes and the objectives that were accomplished in class by asking the students closing questions, students are forced to rethink what they did in class, when otherwise they may forget it and just move along to the next class. I think it is important to be clear, and let the students know what you expect them to do for homework. I think it is important to post homework somehwere in the room so students can look at it, instead of asking/interrupting you because they were not listening. I intent on doing all these things when I end my own classes.
Depending on the lesson plan and the class activity, my CT takes about 5 minutes before the class period ends to bring the class together. This is her set routine, which I feel gives the students stability and they know what to expect. During this time she assigns the homework, explains what is expected of the students, and writes the assignment on the homework board. She then reminds the kids what they did throughout the class period. She recaps the objective of the day, then states why they are doing this, and briefly what they will be doing within the next class periods. She reminds them about any long term projects they should be working on at home (NK requires students to complete a long term, in depth science fair project which counts for 25% of each quarter grade). My CT is really good at keeping track of time and keeping students on task. By the end of the class, students know and understand what their homework is, have gone over what they did in today's class, and have been introduced to what they will be doing next class. Students at this time are also expected to clean up their desk area and put away any materials that they have used during the class period. Rarely have I ever seen "dead time" at the end of a class period. I think the only time I did was when the NECAP testing was going on for the juniors, and the periods got extended without the teachers being informed of this. I feel that the students like the routine of how my CT closes each class period. The students know they need to get their planners out to listen for the homework assignments, and they know they are expected to clean up their desk area. I personally like the idea of routine and structure, and I think it works well in this situation.
I deffinitally will try to end my classes in the same manner. I think that closing a lesson or a class is vital so that the students will retain what they just learned in class. By reviewing the processes and the objectives that were accomplished in class by asking the students closing questions, students are forced to rethink what they did in class, when otherwise they may forget it and just move along to the next class. I think it is important to be clear, and let the students know what you expect them to do for homework. I think it is important to post homework somehwere in the room so students can look at it, instead of asking/interrupting you because they were not listening. I intent on doing all these things when I end my own classes.